The Chicken's location on the Great Western Trail should make it popular stop for cyclists traveling from Des Moines through Cumming to Martensdale.

The aim is to make the restaurant feel like a casual roadhouse that's also family friendly, said Andy Massoth of Full Court Press. He's hoping to draw locals and people from Des Moines who are familiar with other Full Court Press properties.

The menu includes five chicken sandwiches, Nashville-style hot chicken, tacos, fajitas, appetizers and other items, he said.

Massoth said years ago while he was living near Atlanta there was a chicken statue in town that people often used as a landmark to give directions. “Since then, I always wanted a place in the country called 'The Chicken,'” he said.

The partners found the vacant building that once housed Bambino’s Italian restaurant and Rusty Spokes Bar & Grill.

Massoth said they remodeled the interior and created a patio, which has a bar that caters to cyclists.

The owners also added a colorful 8-foot-tall fiberglass chicken in front of the restaurant, but the city cried foul and said the statue had to go.

“The city’s sign code regulates the size of what can be out there,” said city planner Brad Munford. The chicken qualified as a sign, he said.

West Des Moines annexed Orilla Township in 2004.

“We are in discussion with them,” Munford said. “We have to work through it.”

Massoth said staff was hard to find because of the low unemployment rate and the “perception that it’s way out there.” He said he’s had more interest lately and has been able to hire enough workers to open. A limited breakfast menu of burritos will be available for the next few weeks.

The Chicken, 4221 Orilla Road in West Des Moines, is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday; 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.